Housing Navigator

Join Hope The Mission: Where Compassion Meets Action!

Are you passionate about making a difference and eager to contribute to a meaningful cause?

At Hope The Mission, Our mission is to prevent, reduce, and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness. We do this by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions to community members.

Hope the Mission is seeking a Housing Navigator to join our Housing Navigation team and participate in this impactful journey. At Hope The Mission, you'll have the chance to be at the forefront of our mission, working alongside a talented group of professionals who are united by a shared vision of a better world.

See below info regarding details about this position's requirements as well as an overview of our full-time employee benefits:

Amazing Benefits provided for all eligible staff!

• Employer-paid employee health benefits:(including teledoc).: Available to Part-Time Eligible and Full Time Employees!
• Dental, Vision & Life Insurance: Available to Part-Time Eligible and Full Time Employees!
• Five additional voluntary insurance packages: Available to Part Time Eligible and Full-Time Employees!
• Generous Paid Time Off: Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with paid time off for Full-time Employees including vacation, floating holidays, company-paid holidays, and sick leave!
• Professional Development: We are committed to your growth with opportunities for training, workshops, and career development!
• Employee Assistance Programs!

Job Summary:

Skills and Minimum Qualifications:

• Knowledge surrounding poverty, homelessness, and social factors involved.

• Understanding of modalities of treatment.
• Understanding of recovery model principles and practices.
• Ability to understand the needs of formerly homeless people with disabilities and to develop collaborative goals towards greater self-sufficiency and independence in the greater community.
• Ability to work autonomously with a minimal amount of supervision.
• Ability to educate and empower clients in a variety of personal finance topics such as budgeting and responsible money management.
• Knowledgeable about services for homeless and low-income individuals throughout Los Angeles County.
• Knowledge of the dynamics of chemical dependency, mental health issues, and the effects of homelessness.
• The ability to speak Spanish fluently may be required, depending on specific assignments.
• Skilled in the use of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and HMIS Homeless Management Information System.
• Must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Required to have at least one year of experience working with homeless individuals AND have a social work/mental health-related bachelor’s degree or have a minimum of two years of experience providing direct mental health or intensive case management services.
• Have experience working with clients with employment barriers and/or mental illness, chronic health issues, and substance use disorders.
• Have expertise in the following areas: homelessness, outreach and engagement strategies, intensive case management services, best practice models, mental health and substance abuse disorder services, crisis intervention, suicide assessment and prevention, affordable housing and public benefits applications, housing and landlord/tenant rights, eviction prevention, etc.
• Must be able to work effectively with people from all walks of life with compassion
• Able to develop relationships with program participants, their families, and landlords, as well as various service stakeholders (schools, health, and public benefit agencies).
• Strong public speaking ability, able to represent the program and participants as an advocate
• Strong written and oral skills in the English language, able to accurately complete required reports and data entry.
• Able to perform basic mathematic calculations (rent, security deposits, et cetera).
• Able to perform under circumstances of possible emotional stress and conflict, including dealing with uncooperative clients.
• Able to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA, and other federal, state, and local standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, including meeting qualitative and quantitative productivity standards.
• Able to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with ADA, FMLA, and other federal, state, and local standards.

• Must be willing to travel/drive a company vehicle through Los Angeles County.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Accept, screen, and process referrals received from LAHSA & Housing Specialist.

• Conduct intake and enrollment with eligible clients, including assisting clients with gathering program eligibility documentation, and completing program intake forms.
• Assist clients with accessing temporary housing, including shelter, until permanent housing is secured.
• Support clients with the lease-up process, including meeting with property management, reviewing and signing their lease, and obtaining household necessities.
• Conduct comprehensive initial assessments.
• Develop individualized collaborative service plans for tenants.
• Coordinate with Housing Liaisons, LAHSA housing location team, LEASE UP! & other resources to locate appropriate permanent housing.
• Develop and implement a rental assistance plan that includes a step-down approach toward the client paying the entirety of their rent for those clients who are in the “rapid rehousing” style program component.
• Strive to recognize the best in each tenant and to support the meaningful change they seek through building relationships and utilizing motivational interviewing techniques and strength-based case management techniques.
• Meet with each tenant on a regularly scheduled basis and document progress and strength in progress notes.
• Provide home and field-based services as appropriate.
• Transport tenant as needed to essential appointments that support their stability and housing retention.
• Assist tenant with navigating and abiding by their lease obligations.
• Support tenants with learning and practicing fiscal responsibility.
• Assist tenant with their physical and mental health needs by providing support and linkage to appropriate services.
• Complete and submit required weekly and monthly program reports.

• Other duties as assigned.

If you are ready to bring your amazing skills, passion, and dedication to our cause, Hope the Mission would love to hear from you! Apply now!

PHYSICAL DEMANDS, ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, EQUIPMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. Employee is required to: Walk and climb stairs; stand, bend, squat, climb, kneel, and twist on an intermittent or sometimes continuous basis; Grasp, push, pull objects such as files, file cabinet drawers, and reach overhead; Handle, finger, grasp and feel objects and equipment; Reach with hands and arms; Be mobile by moving oneself from place to place quickly and easily; Repeat various motions with the wrists, hands, and fingers; Be able to perform visual activities for (including, but not limited to) administrative and clerical tasks; Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. Communicate, receive and exchange ideas, information by means of the spoken and written word; Drive vehicle in and around Los Angeles County; Be able to enter various buildings that may require climbing stairs. Be periodically subjected to outside environmental conditions. Employees may work in proximity to service animals and emotional support animals; Use a desktop and/or laptop computer; copy, postage, and fax machines. Complete all required forms in personal writing.

Work Environment

The employee may be in contact with individuals and families in crisis who may be ill, using alcohol and drugs, and who may not be attentive to basic personal hygiene, health and safety practices. The employee may experience a number of unpleasant sensory demands associated with the clients use of alcohol and drugs, and lack of personal hygiene. The employee must be ready to respond quickly and effectively to many types of situations, including crisis situations and potentially hostile situations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate in an office setting. Sometimes work may become stressful when working under pressure.

• EEO: HOTV (Hope of the Valley) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, HOTV complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, placement, promotion, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
• HOTV will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if HOTV is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provided.